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Lions Hire Former Steelers CB

The former Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champion will join the Detroit Lions' coaching staff.

Stephen Thompson

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PITTSBURGH -- A former Pittsburgh Steelers captain, standout defender and Super Bowl Champion is taking a new job with the Detroit Lions this week. 

According to a report from Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, former Steelers defensive back Deshea Townsend will join the Detroit Lions as their new defensive passing game coordinator. He had served in the same role while also coaching cornerbacks for the past two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

A former fourth-round pick out of Alabama, Townsend played 12 of his 13 NFL seasons with the Steelers, starting 80 of the 183 game she appeared in and winning two Super Bowl rings in the process. He made 460 total tackles, 27 for a loss and 15.5 sacks and added 112 passes defended, 21 interceptions and three defensive touchdowns during his time in Pittsburgh. 

As a coach, Townsend started with the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 as an assistant defensive backs coach. He moved to the college ranks, taking a head cornerbacks coach job at Mississippi State from 2013 to 2015, before returning to the NFL. Townsend worked as a defensive backs coach with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Chicago Bears before joining the Jaguars. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general. 

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